The finish came in his 24th start. In the SCRL NASCAR Legends Series, it's the 1st for car #12 and the 11th for engine issues. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 5th for the #12 and the 42nd for engine issues.
Ozkan had never competed in a single NASCAR Legends Series race in his career having not raced back in the previous three seasons, but had found success in the SCRL, having scored two career wins, with his first career win coming in the Season 2 of the SCRL Wrangler Jeans Busch Grand National Series at Richmond and scoring his 2nd and most recent career win in the Season 1 SCRL Icebreakers Whelen Series Busch 100 at the Waterford Speedbowl. Ozkan finished 19th in his first ever race in the series at the 2.500 mile road course at Riverside. Ozkan would finish 16th at Ontario and would struggle finishing 26th at Richmond, 25th at Rockingham, 20th at Atlanta, before scoring two back-to-back Top 10 finishes, a 7th at Bristol and 10th Talladega. The next four races would be a struggle for Ozkan, with a 37th at North Wilkesboro, a 39th at Darlington, 25th at Charlotte and a 40th Martinsville. Ozkan would finish 9th in the spring Michigan race before finishing 23rd at Riverside and 25th at Greenville-Pickens. Ozkan would finish a series best 5th at Thompson, 11th at the fall Bristol event, 18th at the fall Atlanta event, 32nd at the fall Michigan event, 36th at Talladega, 22nd at Bowman-Gray, 26th at Darlington, 6th at Richmond a series best 3rd at North Wilkesboro before finishing 20th in the last round at Charlotte.
On race day, Ozkan rolled off starting 29th while starting off in the final spot was spring Atlanta last-place finisher the #25 unsponsored Plymouth of TJ Dent, but just as the drivers drove around the track for their pace lap, Ozkan's car lost power and stalled in Turn 1 as luckily every driver was able to avoid him, while Ozkan's car was towed back to the garage. As the field took the green, Ozkan's team looked under the hood and found that the engine had expired and the car was retired from the event by Lap 5.
Around the same time Ozkan's car was retired from the race, the first caution came out as the #29 unsponsored Chevrolet of Marko Tellez was spun out by the #36 Coca-Cola Dodge of Eddie Wycombe as Greenville-Pickens last-place finisher the #13 unsponsored Chevrolet of Leroy Jones and #28 Piper Trash Can Liners Dodge of Jack Lagasee would both receive damage during a pileup that broke out in Turn 1 after the field had taken the caution, as both drivers would be scored 41st and 40th, having both completed 4 laps.
It would take another forty laps before another spot in the Bottom Five would be filled, that being the #40 7-Up Plymouth of Brian Fox, who would finish six laps down, having gotten damage during the same pileup and struggled to keep up with the rest of the field.
Rounding of the Bottom Five in 38th was spring Richmond last-place finisher the #98 Jim Robbins Co. Ford of Chris Kyle, who was involved in the final caution that ended the race under yellow, finishing 3 laps down to race winner Paul Hogan.
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first SCRL NASCAR Legends Series last-place finish for the #12 at Martinsville.
*This is the first time a driver has failed to complete a lap since the Season 4 Richmond 500 at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway when Chris Kyle fell out also with engine problems without completing any of the 50 laps; 22 races ago.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #12-Samet Ozkan / 0 laps / engine
41) #13-Leroy Jones / 4 laps / crash
40) #28-Jack Lagasee / 4 laps / crash
39) #40-Brian Fox / 44 laps / running
38) #98-Chris Kyle / 47 laps / crash
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